Detroit, Mich., resident, Larry Dilworth Jr. has played wheelchair basketball, jumped out of a perfectly good airplane and went scuba diving, just to name a few. Dilworth says he’s tried it all.
“I played wheelchair basketball with the Detroit Pistons in the ’80s,” says Dilworth. “I wasn’t as good at basketball unless the media was out there. Then I was all net.”
Dilworth got involved with the Pistons through the help of a local organization named the Detroit Wheelchair Athletics Association. Since his basketball skills weren’t up to par, Dilworth found other ways to contribute and help promote adaptive sports.
“I did a lot of PR for them and put together halftime shows that included scrimmage wheelchair basketball games and other forms of entertainment,” says Dilworth.
Dilworth was born with spina bifida 76 years ago (June 25 was his birthday) and is quite possibly our most senior reader. In 1962, Dilworth’s left leg was amputated, and he was fitted with prosthetics to get around. It wasn’t until 1982 that he started using a wheelchair full-time.
“I was fortunate because many people born with spina bifida are in wheelchairs from day one,” says Dilworth. “I was ambulatory for a while before starting to use a manual wheelchair and then started using a power wheelchair in my 50s.”
Dilworth received his Bachelor of Science in radio and TV broadcasting from Siena Heights University and went on to use his talents to help promote adaptive sports throughout the Motor City.
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